Thank you for considering Aro - The Scientific Journal of Koya University as a potential venue for publishing your research. This guide is designed to assist you in preparing and submitting your manuscript to Aro, ensuring a smooth and efficient publication process.

1. Scope and Focus: Aro publishes original research articles, review articles, and letters to the editor in all areas of Science and Engineering. We encourage submissions that contribute to the advancement of knowledge and have a significant impact on their respective fields.

2. Manuscript Preparation: Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure that it adheres to the following guidelines:

   • Format: Prepare your manuscript in Microsoft Word (MS-Word) format, see below for details.
   • Length: The length of your manuscript should be within the specified limits, as outlined in our Length Policy.
   • Language: Use clear and concise English language in your manuscript.
   • Style: Follow the specified style and formatting guidelines, including font type, size, and spacing.
   • Abstract: Include an informative and concise abstract of no more than 250 words.
   • References: Ensure that your references follow the Harvard referencing system, as outlined in our References section.

3. Submission Process: To submit your manuscript, follow these steps: a. Register: Create an account on our online submission system. b. Manuscript Details: Enter the necessary information about your manuscript, including title, authors, affiliations, and keywords. c. Upload Files: Upload your manuscript and any supplementary materials as separate files. d. Review and Confirm: Review all the entered information and files and confirm your submission.

4. Peer Review Process: All manuscripts submitted to Aro undergo a rigorous peer review process to ensure quality and academic integrity. Our Associate Editors and expert reviewers evaluate the submissions based on their scientific soundness, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope. The peer review process is confidential and double-blind, ensuring anonymity for both authors and reviewers.

5. Copyright and Licensing: Upon acceptance, authors retain the copyright of their work and grant Aro the right of first publication under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This allows others to share and adapt the work, provided proper attribution is given. Additional licensing and distribution arrangements can be discussed with the journal.

6. Publication Ethics: Aro adheres to high ethical standards in publishing and expects authors to maintain integrity in their research and submission. Plagiarism and misconduct are strictly prohibited, and any instances of such behavior will be dealt with accordingly. Please refer to our Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement for detailed information.

7. Contact Information: If you have any further questions or require assistance, please contact our management office at aro.journal@koyauniversity.org. We are here to support you throughout the publication process and ensure a positive experience with Aro.

We look forward to receiving your high-quality research submissions and contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Manuscript Preparation:

The submission process for your manuscript involves two stages: before final acceptance and after.

Stage One: For the initial submission, the manuscript should be prepared electronically in Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx, .rtf) and PDF formats. Submit it through the online submission system after completing the registration. The Word file should be in a single-column format, double-spaced, with Times New Roman font, and 12-point font size. The authors' names and affiliations should be removed from the manuscript for the double-blind review process. Referencing and citation should follow the Harvard/ARO system. You can download the stage-one manuscript template by clicking here. 

Stage Two: Once the manuscript is accepted, the production team of ARO Journal will prepare the camera-ready paper.

Units of Measurement: Please use System International (SI) units for presenting measurements in a simple and concise manner.

Abstract: Include an abstract in your manuscript. The abstract should be self-contained, without any citations, and should be between 150 and 250 words. Author will make sure to communicate the 5Ws in their abstract writing, namely
1. Why was it done? A very important element to attract other researchers to read your paper.
2. What was done?
3. How was it done?
4. What was found?
5. What is the significance of the findings?
Check the Tense tendencies in academic texts.  (Click for good guide writing abstract)

Introduction: The introduction section should be concise, without subheadings.

Materials and Methods: Provide sufficient detail in this section so that all procedures can be replicated. If multiple methods are described, you can divide this section into subsections.

Results and Discussion: You may choose to divide this section by subheadings or combine them.

Conclusions: Clearly explain the main conclusions of your work, emphasizing its importance and relevance.

Acknowledgements: Include any acknowledgements at the end of the paper, before the references. This section may include details of supporting grants, presentations, and other relevant information.

References: Ensure that all references are included in the manuscript, and be responsible for their accuracy. Manuscripts without proper references will be returned. ARO follows the Harvard System of Referencing. You can utilize Harvard Referencing Auto Generator tools or learn how to implement Harvard Styling in Microsoft Office. There are also referencing tools available such as Mendeley Resources and REFME, as well as open-source referencing systems. You can use the Simple Text Query from CrossRef to retrieve publication DOIs for non-commercial use. For more information, please refer to the Koya University Referencing System.

Author Biography: Authors now have the option to include a biography with their paper. This can enhance the authors' profiles and is well-received by international readers. The corresponding author should provide the biographies of all manuscript authors during registration. You can find samples of author biographies in previous ARO publications.

Preparation of Figures: Include all figures and tables in the manuscript file upon submission. Figures should be provided as bitmap formats (TIF, GIF, JPEG, etc.). Ensure that bitmap images have a resolution of at least 300 dpi, unless intentionally set lower for scientific reasons. If a bitmap image contains labels, embed the image and labels in separate layers.

Preparation of Tables: Cite tables consecutively in the text. Each table should have a descriptive title, and if numerical measurements are included, the units should be provided in the column headings. Avoid using vertical rules in tables.

Equations: Number equations consecutively.

English Grammar: To expedite the review process, authors are encouraged to use grammar check software or seek the assistance of a native speaker to proofread their manuscript before submission.

Original Contribution: Clearly state the originality of your scientific contribution in the manuscript.

Plagiarism: ARO utilizes plagiarism detection tools. Plagiarism refers to the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and presenting them as one's own. The Editorial Board of ARO Journal will evaluate any case of plagiarism on its own merits. If plagiarism is detected at any stage before publication, including after acceptance, during editing, or at the page proof stage, the author will be alerted. They will be asked to either rewrite the text or quote the text exactly and cite the original source. If at least 15% of the original submission is found to be plagiarized, ARO journal reserves the right to reject the manuscript.

Effective Writing: Strive for readability in your writing, which means being clear, accurate, and concise. Communicate your ideas in a way that the audience can understand effortlessly, unambiguously, and quickly. Write in a straightforward manner without the need for unusual, complicated, or overly formal language to sound scientific or impress the readers. If you can explain your work to a friend, you are on the right track.

Length Policy: ARO provides guidelines for the expected length of submitted manuscripts, including regular research papers and review papers. The guidelines include the abstract, references, and appendices but exclude figure captions or table content. The length policy is as follows:

Regular research paper:

• Between 2500 and 3000 words: Acceptable (Less than 15 figures)
• Between 2500 and 3000 words: Overlong (More than 15 figures)
• Between 3000 and 4500 words: Acceptable (Less than 12 figures)
• Between 3000 and 4500 words: Overlong (More than 12 figures)
• Between 4500 and 5000 words: Acceptable (Less than 10 figures)
• Between 4500 and 5000 words: Overlong (More than 10 figures)
• Between 5000 and 6000 words: Acceptable (Less than 8 figures)
• Between 5000 and 6000 words: Overlong (More than 8 figures)
• More than 6000 words: Overlong (Any number)

Review paper:

• Up to 10,000 words: Acceptable (Less than 20 figures)
• Over 10,000 words: Overlong (More than 20 figures)
• Note: There is a limit of 12 tables for all paper types.